District of Columbia Bicycle Advisory Council

DC Bicycle Advisory Council Meeting November 2, 2011 Attendance: Barry Weise (Resident, Ward 1), Jameel Alsalam (Ward4 Appointee), Lt. Nicholas Breul (MPD), Jim Sebastian and Mike Goodno (DDOT), Josh Ghaffari (OP), Jeanie Osburn (Ward 5 Appointee), Larry Sternbane (Resident, Ward 8), Alphonso Coles (At-Large, Kwami Brown), Brett Adams (Resident, Ward8), Eric Rosenberg (At-Large, Michael Brown), Randall Meyer (At Large, David Catania), Ellen Jones (DCBAC Chair, Ward 3 Appointee) Liam Healy (Ward 6, Appointee), David Cranor (Resident, Ward 6) Approval of the Minutes Minutes from the September DC Bicycle Advisory Council meeting were reviewed. Jeanie moved to approve the minutes. Eric seconded the motion. The minutes were approved unanimously. Legislative Committee Report David Cranor reported that the committee spent most of their time on the Assault Law. Complete Streets Policy was discussed. Jim Sebastian reported that it was a Director's Policy. Implementation is assumed by Jim's staff. He says it helps. If it was a law it might have more weight. Jeanie pointed out that often Jim's office gets left out of the loop. More structure in the process is needed. Jeanie agreed to write a letter to Director Bellamy about the nature of the problem and possible solutions for the group to review electronically. Dave discussed the bicycle parking report that was required by DC statue several years ago. It pointed out the lack of parking in DC government buildings as well as in the city as a result of eliminating meters. Ellen suggested trying to tie the findings of the report into a recommendation to the Mayor's sustainability initiative in time for the budget process to take hold. Ellen also said DDOT needs to tell us whether this is a budget problem or a mandate problem or both.

Safety Committee Report Jameel reported that much of the Safety Committee discussion was about the Police Complaints report. Lt. Nicholas Breul of MPD discussed his branch, Impaired Drivers. He also has responsibility for pedestrians and bicyclists. Jameel suggested that we add the full committee listing on the website and post all of the BAC minutes. It was agreed that this should happen. Randall reported on the hearing today on bicycle and pedestrian safety. Ellen encouraged appointed members to send their own Councilmembers a note to support the bill. Lt. Breul indicated that MPD will be altering their rules on deadlines for completing reports to make sure that the officers have sufficient time to interview witnesses and victims in bike crashes. This is a result of the Police Officers Complaint report on bicycle safety. Lt. Breul stated that Traffic Division would be a good way to ensure that we have officers who are more expert on bicycle and pedestrian safety in traffic operations. Jim reported that 70% of the officers have completed the DDOT on-line course on bike and ped rules and regulations. Facilities Committee Report Jeanie noted that the far southeast livability study area ride made by the Facilities Committee in November reminded her of how much terrain there is in that area. Jeanie then discussed the lack of connectivity for cycling east of the River. The 11th Street Bridge project will ultimately include a separate bike ped separate bridge, a move in the right direction. Connecting DC Village to National Harbor will require NPS action which is generally decades in the making. She reviewed the hazards using Benning and East Capital Street bridges as well. Community members at the BAC meeting talked about the difficulty of finding the Suitland Trail from the South Capital Bridge. The bad condition of Suitland trail was also noted. Jim Sebastian reported that Oxon Run trail is under design and DDOT hopes it will be rebuilt in 2 years. A general discussion about the lack of bicycle awareness in Ward 8 ensued. WABA's efforts east of the River to promote cycling were noted.

Jeanie informed the BAC that she sent a letter to Director Bellamy regarding the replacement of bike racks after road construction following the extensive discussion on the topic in the BAC google group. This recurring problem needs a process fix at DDOT. A letter is needed to the DC Office of Consumer Regulatory Affairs, Matt LeGrant, regarding inspecting for bike racks when occupancy certificates are issued. Ellen offered to put a constructive letter suggesting ways to improve inspectors' performance on this issue. The meeting was adjourned at 8PM.